Introducing a new food and cocktail menu at Roxy Ball Room

Do you like good, simple food and fun games?

I mean, who doesn't?!

Roxy Ball Room opened up in Leeds a while back and is the go-to place when you want some casual fun with friends in the form of pool, ping pong, mini golf, or even beer pong. They just updated their food and drinks menu, and invited me to trial it all along with some fellow Leeds bloggers.

 When we arrived and had downed our first drink (a fresh and delicious Bellini) they set up an absolute feast for us.
We couldn't believe our eyes!

 There were pesto chicken and parma ham burgers, beef burgers a few different pizzas, mac & cheese balls, onion rings, garlic dough balls, and accompanying dips. 

Basically, classic party food with a twist - just perfect when you're out for a laugh with friends, either for a night out or a quiet(ish) game session.

 I had to try a little bit of almost everything, but my favourite was the pesto chicken burger topped with crispy parma ham.
It was super tasty!

 When we had munched on several goodies, it was time to test the new cocktail menu. 

Hello, yes please! 

Roxy Ball Room has been really creative with their new menu, and they were serving drinks such as 'A perfect serve', 'A right racket', and 'Match point'.

The first one mentioned consists of Amaretto, Chambord liqueur, cranberry and lemon juice, fresh raspberries and rosemary - it was like heaven!

I love it when bars use fresh herbs in drinks - it really takes the drink to the next level.

A few drinks later, and a couple of games of pool, and we were pretty satisfied with our evening.

I'm a big fan of playing pool, so Roxy Ball Room is really a place for me.

Thank you so much for inviting me to this new menu lunch event of yours!

How to make delicious savoury scones

There's nothing more mouth watering than the smell of freshly baked bread, but most types of bread take absolutely ages to bake as they need to rise, then rise again, and then bake on a low temperature for about an hour. So if you want to quickly throw something together for the family scones are a great alternative. Now, you may automatically think about jam and clotted cream when you hear the word scones, but here comees the twist - these scones are savoury!
The secret ingredient is chorizo, and once you've tried these you won't want to go back t your sweet scones again... believe me!

What you'll need:

 450 g (7½ dl) plain white flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

100 g cold butter

300 ml (3 dl) milk 

Finely chopped chorizo

 Start by frying the chopped chorizo and get rid of the excess fat.

Put it to the side to cool a bit.

 Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, add the butter and work it into the mix evenly, then add milk and quickly knead into a dough.
Add the fried chorizo, mix it well into the dough, and then divide the dough into 3-4 parts.
Shape each part into a round, flat cake that is 1½-2 cm thick.

 Place the scones on a baking tray covered with baking paper, cut where you want them to break once baked, and then bake in the centre of the oven for 10-12 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius.

 Let the scones cool down a little bit, then serve with salty butter and your favourite cheese.

A glass of ice cold milk with that, and you can't go wrong!

Delicious!

These savoury chorizo scones are perfect as an evening or a weekend snack, or to compliment your soup lunch.

8 Moroccan decorations that will spice up your bathroom

Personally, I think the bathroom is the only room in the house where you can go wild and crazy with decorations without people questioning you. However, most people go for very basic styles in this room, with lots of white mixed with cold tiles. 

If you want to up the game in your bathroom and give it more of a personality, why not get influenced by the warm and eccentric Morocco?

Below are 8 oriental style decorations that will definitely spice up your bland and impersonal bathroom.

 1. These colourful and patterned perfume bottles will look stunning on your bathroom shelf - IKEA

 2. A miniature lemon tree will thrive in the warm and damp environment of ypur bathroom, and will take your mind to warmer latitudes - IKEA

 3. These wicker baskets of different sizes remind me of snake charmers, and they're great for storing everything from cotton pads to hair bobbles - IKEA

4. Why not go all out Moroccan patterns when it comes to your bath and hand towels? Dare to play with colours and see the impact they make on your overall interior - H&M Home

5. You can't go wrong with these green glass decorations for your soap and toothbrushes. No doubt this is inspired by the mesmerizing Morocco - H&M Home

6. A classic Moroccan decoration, that will go in any room of the house, is of course the patterned mirror tray. Place some candles or a plant on it, and place it on some wooden legs to use as a side table - LionsHome

7. You can't get more Moroccan that the popular swirly metal lanterns. Opt for clear or coloured glass to suit your style - LionsHome

 8. And last but not least... in order to really feel that you're walking into another part of the world when you're entering your bathroom, choose a room diffuser to spread your favourite scent. This specific one, 'Golden Amber', has a beautiful oriental scent - Next

Living rooms from 4 different corners of Europe

What makes a piece of furniture French looking? 

Or English? Indian? Scandinavian?

It's always interesting to see how different styles are being perceived in other countries' eyes.

How good are we at copying other countries' interior styles? 

Can it be done properly, or does it have to be the genuine thing for it to pass of as 'French'?

The furniture company Arlo & Jacob, who has recently launched their brand in the UK market, has given this a go in their brilliant infographic below. 

This shows the living room styles of London, Paris, Berlin and Rome, along with some interesting facts. 

It's such a difference between the styles! 

I write a lot about French shabby chic, but to my own surprise I actually really like the industrial style of the Berlin room in this infographic. 

Having grown up in a Scandinavian country with minimalist and contemporary interior styles, I was drawn to the clean and straight lines in the Berlin example.

Which style is your favourite?

The Leeds restaurant that is like an exclusive club for steak lovers

If you've been to Leeds then you will likely have seen the bar 1871 (A bar which I can never remember the name of! Was it 1791, 1981...?), but what you probably didn't know is that behind it there's like a secret restaurant.
I'm saying secret, but if you've been a guest of the Marriott hotel you'll know it's there.
The fact is, that the 1871 bar is part of Marriott too, and if you go through or around it you'll find the Midtown Grill; the New York style steak house in the heart of Leeds.

Inside the restaurant there's no fuss.
They know that you're there for a good piece of meat, and that's what you'll get.
The Midtown Grill has opted for a timeless and minimalistic interior with quirky little decorative details from different eras - something that will keep your mind occupied and your conversations flowing.

When arriving at the Midtown Grill we were welcomed by some lovely and very helpful staff.

We ordered in a bottle of wine based on their recommendation, which was delicious! Very crisp and fresh.
But now onto the actual dinner...

The starters

I opted for the Wensleydale tart as my starter - something that was quite different to what I would usually order when out for a meal.
I didn't really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The tart was made with really tasty cheese, as well as walnuts and red onions.

My other half picked the pan fried scallops with butternut squash and pancetta for his starter.

It was so good that he basically inhaled it!

I didn't taste it, but I was very impressed with how his starter was presented - very professional, and absolutely top notch.

The mains

 

Oooh, the excitement when your main dish arrives!

I was even cheeky enough to order mine with two different sauces - cause everyone knows that Swedes love their sauce!

Really lovely presentation again, but still no fuss.

They know that they're a steak house and not a gourmet restaurant where you'd have to eat 5 mains in order to get full (but basically empty your bank account) so it's all very simple but beautiful.

I opted for my favourite; a classic fillet steak done medium well.

Yes, I know that people say you should eat steak medium or even medium rare, but I just can't deal with the texture.
I used to get them proper well done, but I've now realised that the steak becomes a lot juicier if you order it medium well. I will never go below that though.

This steak was absolutely gorgeous, and I devoured every little piece of it, along with delicious béarnaise sauce, and I even asked to try the bone marrow bordelaise as well. 

My other half was even greedier than me, and went all out, ordering the mixed grill.

This included a piece of sirloin steak, lamb chop, gammon, a sausage, and a fried egg.

Both dishes came with cocktail vine tomatoes, watercress salad, and chunky chips - exactly what you would expect from a quality steak house.

 Happy to be treated to such a lovely meal!

And look at that bone marrow! You were simply meant to pour your bordelaise over it to give the sauce more flavour.

The desserts

 I was so full at this point, but whenever I see crème brûlée on the menu, I can't help myself!
This was a crème brûlée with a twist though; first of all it wasn't served in a little pot with burnt sugar on it, but it was a cut off piece as if from a cake. The burnt sugar was on the bananas which had been placed on top of it, and the second twist to this banoffee crème brûlée was that it came with a caramel peanut sauce on the side.
This didn't taste like anything I've had before, but I loved it!
Oh, how I love experiencing and experimenting with different flavours!

My other half opted for a some special dessert that I believe was the dessert of the day/week.
It was some kind of cheesecake with bits if chocolate in it.
Just as the starter I didn't see much of it before it had basically been inhaled, so I take it that it got 5 stars out of 5.

The Midtown Grill, part of the Marriott hotel and the 1871 bar, is definitely a place I would recommend.

With it being located where it is, you can be sure that you'll get to enjoy your dinner in peace - like I mentioned before; it's almost like a secret restaurant that only a chosen few will know about. 

Like an exclusive club for steak lovers.